Lions' special-teams units bracing for Hester, Bears

PHILADELPHIA -- Chicago Bears special teams coach Dave Toub said he was interested to see how the Detroit Lions would make changes on special teams after some game-changing breakdowns in recent games.

The Lions had an off week to tweak their units before defeating the Eagles 26-23 in overtime Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. There were no breakdowns and kicker Jason Hanson was 4-for-4, including a 45-yarder to clinch the game and end a three-game losing streak.

Detroit’s 2-3 record would be significantly better had the failures of coverage units not crippled the team in losses to the Titans and Vikings. According to STATS LLC, the Lions became the first team in the NFL since at least 1940 to surrender kickoff and punt return touchdowns in consecutive games. They lost at Tennessee 44-41 and at home to the Vikings 20-13.

“There were a lot of days to think about what had happened and what we wanted to do – we wanted to go out there and redeem ourselves,” said Lions safety John Wendling, the special teams captain. “It was a long time coming for sure.”

The return of Louis Delmas to the defense made a big difference. Delmas had missed the first four games recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery and Wendling had been filling in at free safety. With Delmas in the mix, Wendling was able to focus on his role on special teams.

“It wasn’t one thing that was hurting us,” Wendling said. “That was what was frustrating and when you do it like that in back-to-back games – one in each phase – that is hard. I think we’ve got the right guys out there. We’ve got the right attitude. We just have to keep it up. There is a lot more good football to play.

“We changed some positions but not a whole lot. We just had to have more of an attitude on special teams. We were lacking that the first four weeks.”

The overall numbers are atrocious. Opponents are averaging 19.6 yards per punt return and 30.3 per kickoff return. That is what happens when you have a couple big ones broken on you.

Devin Hester has made 50 combined punt and kickoff returns since his last touchdown, an 82-yard punt return vs. the Lions in Week 10 last season. It could be an opportunity for him to get going against Detroit.

“You always know what you are getting from him,” Wendling said. “He is the best in the league. We’ve got to bring our 'A' game and we’ve got to bring an attitude and get better every day. We’ll prepare for him. But they’ve got a lot of good special teamers over there, not just him.”

Wendling said there is a challenge to defending Hester that straddles the line between being aggressive and assignment sound.

“You’ve got to play within the scheme,” Wendling said. “Be a playmaker but also don’t try to do too much. There are responsibilities and your job and you cannot go beyond that but you also have to be a playmaker on special teams. At the end of the day, that is what gets it done on special teams.”